Seeking Funding
Seeking Funding
The Graduate Funding Office in the College of Graduate Studies has put together this informational resource to assist you in your search for graduate funding. We understand the process may be overwhelming, so we have provided some guidance and resources to help get you started.
Graduate student funding comes in various forms including fellowships, assistantships, scholarships and student loans. Our office manages the policies and procedures for university assistantships and fellowships.
Student Financial Assistance manages the scholarship database, A2O, and student loans. Students interested in applying for loans or scholarships should visit the Office of Student Financial Assistance website and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The Student Financial Assistance section in the Graduate Catalog is written specifically for graduate students who may wish to apply for financial aid. It provides guidance on student eligibility, applying for financial aid, and details of the financial aid award and payment processes.
More information about fellowships and assistantships is provided below. For all requirements related to graduate funding, please visit the Financial Information section of the current Graduate Catalog.
Contact us at gradfellowship@ucf.edu or gradassistantship@ucf.edu if you have any questions.
Types of Funding
The university provides assistantships, fellowships, tuition support, and health insurance to select graduate students who qualify. More detailed funding information can be found in the Graduate Catalog, but this section will cover the basics of what you need to know.
Fellowships
Fellowships are prestigious awards that provide a stipend without a work requirement. Most university fellowships are reserved for incoming degree-seeking graduate students who plan to enroll full-time in a qualifying degree program. For a listing of fellowships that are offered through the UCF College of Graduate Studies, see UCF Graduate Fellowships.
A list of additional funding resources (internal and external to UCF) is included in Other Funding Resources. Current graduate students may also look for fellowship (or scholarship) funding from external agencies or organizations.
If you have a university fellowship, be sure you visit the For UCF Fellows page, where you will find helpful information about your fellowship package.
The College of Graduate Studies provides Presentation Fellowships for students to present their research or comparable creative activity at a professional meeting or conference. The Student Government Association also funds individual and group travel requests. For more information about these awards and how to apply for them, see Presentation Fellowships and “SGA Activity and Service Fee Travel Funding” on the Other Funding Resources page.
Assistantships
Graduate assistantships offer opportunities for full-time students to engage in research, teaching, and other projects during their graduate study. These are paid appointments that promote the missions of the university and complement your academic experience. For eligibility, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a qualifying degree program and enroll full-time during the term(s) of the assistantship. To learn more about graduate assistantships at UCF, visit Assistantships.
For more information about the types of employment available to international students, and the requirements and restrictions based on visa type, see the UCF Global website.
Graduate students may be appointed as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to carry out responsibilities as classroom teachers (instructors of record), co-teachers, or classroom assistants, graders, lab assistants, or other roles directly related to classroom instruction for credit-earning courses at UCF. Mandatory training requirements must be met for a student to be hired in the position of Graduate Teaching Associate, Assistant, or Grader. The training, offered by the UCF Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, covers course design, learning theories, ethics, and other topics relevant to preparing GTAs for their responsibilities. For more information about graduate teaching requirements at UCF, see Graduate Teaching Requirements.
Tuition Remission
Tuition remission is connected to your qualifying university fellowship or graduate assistantship appointment. For more information on the different levels and types of tuition remission, visit Tuition Remission. To review the student obligations for maintaining graduate tuition support, visit the Financial Information section of the current Graduate Catalog.
Health Insurance
Students who have a qualifying university fellowship or graduate assistantship also receive an individual health insurance policy paid for by the College of Graduate Studies. For more about this offer, see Health Insurance.
Tips for Finding Graduate Funding
Graduate fellowships and assistantships are very competitive, and the selection or nomination process differs for each program. In many cases your application for admission is also your application for graduate funding.
Applicants who wish to be considered for university fellowships or assistantships should apply for graduate admission by the Fall Priority application deadline (January 15) or earlier if required by your program. Most university funding is offered between January and April each year, so it is important to apply early. Review the Fellowships page for more information about the fellowship nomination and application process. To qualify for fellowships or assistantships, graduate students are expected to be enrolled full-time in a qualifying degree program.
Most funding decisions are made by the individual programs and not the College of Graduate Studies which is why we recommend meeting with the program director of the program that you are currently enrolled in or applying to discuss the possibility of support. To find your graduate program director’s contact information, review the Program page in the current Graduate Catalog.
Some non-academic offices and research centers may also offer graduate assistantships. These offices may post opportunities on their social media pages or in Handshake on the UCF Career Services website.
Think of this resource as your starting point. Once you identify opportunities that interest you, you’ll need to connect directly with those departments for application details and next steps.
Scholarship and Assistantship Information by College
Most of these links will take you to the Scholarships page for each college. For the colleges without published assistantship information, reach out to the programs directly to inquire about assistantships.
College of Arts and Humanities
Barry S. Miller College of Business
College of Community Innovation and Education: Scholarships and Assistantships
College of Engineering and Computer Science
Contact Information for CECS Graduate Programs
CECS Research and Support Positions
College of Health Professions and Sciences
College of Medicine (Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences)
M.D. students are not eligible for assistantships and fellowships offered by the College of Graduate Studies. See the COM Financial Services page for more information about funding available to M.D. students.
College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL)
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Limited assistantship opportunities are available in the Graduate Student Center. Contact their office to inquire about these opportunities.
Things You Should Know
Most programs that fund their students fund their doctoral students first and have limited funding available for master’s students. Your program will be able to tell you the likelihood of being awarded funding. Funding opportunities can change every semester due to changes in enrollment, faculty research grants, and department budgets.
myUCF
Use myUCF to check the status of your student account and financial aid, and review the Graduate Funding page to see fellowships, health insurance, GTA training requirements satisfied, and assessments submitted. In Employee Self Service, you can use the Payroll and Compensation page to see your paycheck and compensation history, W-2 and W-4 forms information, and direct deposit for your paycheck.
Tuition and Fees
Each year in July, the university publishes the Tuition and Fees for the coming academic year. These new rates apply beginning in the Fall semester. Please note that tuition charges are listed as “Tuition” in the Tuition and Fees Cost table. All other items listed are considered fees and are not covered by tuition waivers or most tuition payments.
Graduate students enrolled in non-standard tuition programs or fully online programs that exempt them from paying campus-based fees are not eligible for university fellowships offered through the College of Graduate Studies. Contact us at gradassistantship@ucf.edu to inquire about your eligibility for fellowships or assistantships.
A student’s fee invoice will show all tuition and fee charges, payments, and deferments associated with the term and courses in which the student is currently enrolled. Review the Fee Invoice webpage for more information including how to read your fee invoice.
Responsibility to Pay
Students are responsible for paying their semester bill by the published payment deadline. See Student Account Services for more information about payment deadlines and procedures.